Draconian Times

Draconian Times
Studio album by Paradise Lost
Released	12 June 1995
Recorded	Great Linford Manor and Ridge Farm Studios, England, January–March 1995
Genre	Doom metal, gothic metal
Length	48:59
Label	Music for Nations, Relativity
Producer	Simon Efemey
Paradise Lost chronology
Icon (1993) Draconian Times (1995) One Second (1997)

Draconian Times is the fifth studio album released by British metal act Paradise Lost. Two tracks from the album, "The Last Time" (8 May 1995) and "Forever Failure" (25 Sept 1995) were released as singles, music videos and both charted.

This album was played in its entirety on the band's live album Draconian Times MMXI. This album was released with Shades of God & Icon in a boxed set called Original Album Classics.^[1] A song called "Another Desire", was written during this album's recording, but it was not released on this album nor the reissues. Instead, it was only released on the Forever Failure single. This is the only Paradise Lost album where members of the band other than MacKintosh & Holmes have received some writing credits.

Style

After the tours for Icon, Paradise Lost had separated from drummer Matthew Archer, who joined the editorial staff of MTV's Headbangers Ball. Lee Morris applied, although he did not know the band before. He had already unsuccessfully applied for Ozzy Osbourne, after the dissolution of his previous band Marshall Law. Lee Morris contributed to Yearn for Change in some complex fills, for which he received songwriting credits with bassist Edmonson first time. Even more quiet, some with synthesizers backed intro passages are present. Some chorale-like passages were from Guildford Dead Boys Choir, arranged and sung by a student choir, In addition, at Forever Failure multiple samples of Charles Manson were used. " I do not really know what sorry Means I feel sorry all my life " - Charles Manson sample in Forever Failure. Even the band itself, which described the album as a missing link between Metallica and The Sisters of Mercy, took Draconian Times over Icon not as a break in true style. The extended tours have had a positive impact on the songwriting, and what have " round " made the pieces "complete". The plate had a "continuous level " and compared a higher "overall level" but was also " diversified ". Since The Last Time clearly " catchy " were to fail, the band was at first not sure if it should emit the piece as a single. An advantage of the faster songs but Paradise Lost saw that this would provide live and given the long tours for more variety.

This album falls partly more of a rock style than the previous Icon but it is also stylistically linked to it. Nick Holmes' falls partly a little clearer, melodic and quieter than on Icon. Songs like the single "The Last Time", "Once Solemn" and "Shadowkings" on the other hand, are much faster, with more rock and more catchy than was heard before by Paradise Lost. They continued also on the following albums development that brought Holmes to the term Dark Rock later. Nevertheless, the panel of Simon Efemey, who was supported in the mix by Pete Coleman, manufactures metallic and harsh music. The Doom elements, however, are as good as gone.

Recording

The result of this album took place again at an old English country house as it was selected with a garden shed and parking. The studio was only 30 miles away from the studio Icon was recorded. At the beginning of the studio stay, the album was thanks to some demo recordings already completely finished, just a few keyboard parts when "I See Your Face" were still changed. In spite of the longer time interval to the previous Draconian Times was written and recorded within half a year.

Tour

The album was published in a phase in which the band gained increasing popularity by first appearing as a headliner at major festivals such as Dynamo Open Air, in front of 120,000 spectators fell into this year and it followed by a long tour, including with The Sisters of Mercy .

Songs

Nick Holmes said in an interview that he was "pretty down" was when he wrote the lyrics. Due to the built-in sample projects of "Forever Failure" is a little bit lyrically out. The play is about drugs, in particular humans, in which about the consumption of hashish or alcohol determines life. The use the Manson samples came after Holmes had seen a report on Manson on TV. Gregor Mackintosh called Manson's statements as "confused and sad".

"I See Your Face" is inspired by a story from the news, in which a mother was stabbed in front of their children.

The catastrophe of the Baltic ferry MS Estonia in 1994, has influenced Holmes. He often think "about imminent death situations," accordingly. Holmes describes himself as a hypochondriac and "Drama Queen". Also, the album title, loosely translated as "hard times" so that is related . "The question is just why these terrible things always happen just normal people who live a brave life, while guys like Manson depend relatively comfortable in any institution." - Gregor Mackintosh.

Similarly, the song "The Last Time" by sudden fear is groundless.

A piece of Draconian Times carries a song title named after the third album of the band, Shades of God. However, it was a newly written piece and in that context, Nick Holmes seen as an atheist. In Flirting with church symbols, also in the past, have him " the romantic side irritated it, but with everyday life here and now that has to do unfortunately little."

Not since this album, Paradise Lost had allegations made to be commercial and on "the big dough" to be made, although mostly the qualities of the album are quite recognized.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Sputnikmusic	[3]

Those reviewers who do not see the album as problematic, assign points at the top. On www.metal-inside.de, the album was referred to as "gloomy, but sublime" and "perfect". This was the "fulfillment" of the promise of Icon. Eike Schmitz of www.powermetal.de looks like this and speaks of a " masterpiece". "If you think of the Sisters as polished bronze, as are dirty plutonium Paradise Lost". Daevid Jehnzen of allmusic, however, praises less songwriting, but rather the atmosphere that was created on Draconian Times . Here were awarded four and a half stars out of five . The reviews at the time of publication were positive : In the intro magazine Christian Suggest notes that Paradise Lost have made it, " to skip with , Icon' album very highly specified yardstick " . "Neither have given the typical PL ingredients still one goes on the thin ice of total mass compatibility. " Holger Stratmann, editor of Rock Hard magazine, Paradise Lost looks at this album " more sensitive than ever," only The Last Time was " a little too banal ." However, only criticism for his part in some passages, the similarity to the previous panel. He gave it a nine out of ten.

Track listing

All tracks written by Gregor Mackintosh & Nick Holmes except as noted. 

Personnel

Paradise Lost

• Nick Holmes – vocals and lyrics
• Gregor Mackintosh – lead guitar
• Aaron Aedy – rhythm and acoustic guitars, co-composing on I See Your Face
• Steve Edmonson – bass guitar
• Lee Morris – drums

Other

• Simon Efemey (Zomba Management Ltd.) - production
• Pete "Pee Wee" Coleman - audio engineering, mixing
• Kevin Metcalfe (at Townhouse Studios, London) - mastering
• Andrew Holdsworth - keyboards
• Holly Warburton - illustrations and photography
• Stylorouge - design and layout
• Spoken Dialogue on Forever Failure taken from "Charles Manson - The Man who killed the Sixties" produced by Box Productions for Channel Four Television Corporation.

Assisting

• Andy Griffin
• Phil Woods
• Phil Luff

Charts

Notes